Handmade tradition

Wagner pretzel: a culinary piece of Graz

Adreas Strohmayer in his almost historic premises on Karlau Platz

(Bild: Jauschowetz Christian/Christian Jauschowetz)

There is probably no Graz resident who doesn't know it, hardly any tourist who passes it by - the Wagner pretzel is often copied, never equaled and is experiencing new heights "to make yourself".

Of course, if you are allowed to look behind the venerable walls of the traditional bakery, then you have to try it yourself, namely to "twist" the centimeter-long strand of dough in the air into the characteristic shape. But to be honest: while Ernst Traby - who has been doing this for 42 years - can do it in a matter of seconds with dreamlike certainty, the layman (at least the writer of this report) cannot do it to perfection straight away. "You're not the first," smiles Andreas Strohmayer. The fifth Andreas in the long-established dynasty of bakers grew up in the bakery, knows every move here and shapes the pastries himself with ease.

Ernst Traby (left) and his colleague shape the pretzel with ease

(Bild: Jauschowetz Christian/Christian Jauschowetz)

The dough is then cooked in salted water (for five to 10 minutes) and then finished off in the oven until crispy but nice and light.

What is actually in the dough that makes the pretzel taste so good? Mainly wheat and rye flour, water, ground barley extract - "but the recipe isn't as important as the ingredients," says Strohmyaer, revealing the most important ingredient. "It depends on the baker's finishing touches, the manual work, factors such as the oven and even the room atmosphere. That's why our pretzel, despite being copied so often, has never been equaled."

And off it goes into salted water to cook

(Bild: Jauschowetz Christian/Christian Jauschowetz)

And it still tastes the same as it did in the old days in Graz. Gottfried Wagner opened the "First Graz Pretzel Bakery" in Lazarettgasse in the 1920s - and because they were incomparably crispy and crumbly, people flocked to the delicacy. It is said that Mr. Wagner brought the recipe with him from an Italian monastery.

However, the small inn burned down in the interwar period - and this is where the Strohmayers came in. Friend Andreas, the grandfather of the current managing director, offered to produce the pastries in his bakery. It is said that Wagner finally gave him the recipe on his deathbed, so that it would not be lost.

(Bild: Jauschowetz Christian/Christian Jauschowetz)

The recipe remained the same, and the pretzel recently reached another milestone when it was added to the Spar range of bakery products; Wagner's invention is now literally on everyone's lips throughout Austria. And at 132 calories, it doesn't really hit your hips that hard, "it's almost slimming" jokes Strohmayer's wife Margaretha. Unless you enjoy it the way she does - with lots of butter (!) on top.

But what makes this pretzel so unique? "It tastes good, you can easily hold it in your hand at events without crumbs, dip it in spreads - and stroll through Herrengasse with it without losing your composure, it's even part of the cityscape." Besides, people just love them - products with tradition, quality and a good story behind them never lose their taste.

Hansjörg Mackeldey has been selling pretzels since 1989, whatever the weather - and is himself unique in Graz. So many people know him, he stands at the Iron Gate

(Bild: Jauschowetz Christian/Christian Jauschowetz)

The famous Strohmayer bakery, which once had 120 baked goods, now only produces pretzels - but its future is secured by Strohmayer's daughter Lili (24). A sigh of relief goes through Styria!